Chapter 406 Do you regret it?

Shang Ruyi shook her head and looked at him: "What are you thinking about?"

Seeing that she didn't answer but asked a question instead, Yuwen Ye smiled faintly and said, "Guess what I'm thinking."

"..."

Shang Ruyi tilted her head and looked at him for a while, then said, "Someone like you would never be thinking of me at a time like this..."

A smile flickered in Yuwen Ye's eyes.

But his expression remained cold and stern as he looked at Shang Ruyi. The young woman thought about it seriously for a moment and then said, "The thing that can make you think so hard at this time must be a major issue at hand—either internal or external troubles."

Yuwen Ye raised an eyebrow slightly: "Tell me, what are the internal and external troubles we are facing right now?"

"Internal troubles—"

Shang Ruyi blinked and said, "Father's biggest internal worry right now must be those people in Daxing City who don't submit to him, and the only way these people can attack Father is through my actions in Jiangdu Palace—"

As she said this, her throat tightened involuntarily again.

Yuwen Ye's eyes also dimmed.

But Shang Ruyi quickly calmed herself down, cleared her throat with a light cough, and said, "But this matter has been resolved today, so for the time being, there are no major internal troubles in front of Father or us. Then there are external troubles."

At this point, she became even more serious, even lowering her head and counting on her fingers as she softly said, "The matter of Wanggang Village is temporarily settled, and even if Xiao Yuansui wanted revenge, he wouldn't be able to spare the time; as for Luoyang, since Liang Shide didn't cause us any trouble on the road, his attitude towards Daxing City is still questionable; as for Wang Shaoji, it won't be so easy for him to leave Jiangdu and head north, especially since today's news will soon spread throughout the land—he's the one who truly murdered the emperor! And..."

Yuwen Ye's expression was originally cold and stern, but for some reason, when he heard her muttering to herself like this, he actually smiled a little.

He said, "You've calculated all this, have you figured it out yet?"

Shang Ruyi suddenly tightened her grip on her fingers, making a snapping sound. She turned to look at Yuwen Ye and said in a deep voice, "Xue Xian?!"

"..."

“When I was in Jiangdu Palace before, I heard that he had raised an army in rebellion and defeated General Huangfu Ding, and occupied all of Longxi.”

"..."

"Occupying Longxi means we won't be far from Guanzhong."

"..."

"If it were someone else who occupied Longxi, they might have been content with just that corner. But Xue Xian is an ambitious man with excellent military skills. He certainly wouldn't just stop at being the dominant force in Longxi. He would definitely want to move eastward, wouldn't he?"

"...!"

Yuwen Ye looked at her without speaking, but a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

After a long silence, he nodded slightly, glanced at Shang Ruyi, and said with a half-smile, "Now, the world is all under your control."

Shang Ruyi knew immediately that he was mocking her, so she just glared at him and didn't respond.

She thought for a moment, then looked at Yuwen Ye and said softly, "But why are you still thinking about Xue Xian at this time?"

"..."

Yuwen Ye met her flickering gaze and understood what she meant.

No matter how great the internal and external troubles are, today, right now, at this moment, there is only one thing that truly makes them uneasy—Yuwen Qian.

And those words, which seem to linger in the air even now, still float above the Duke's mansion.

The young master has returned to the manor!

Why did Yuwen Ye not think of him at this moment, but instead think of Xue Xian who was far away?

Seeing the doubt in Shang Ruyi's eyes, Yuwen Ye sighed softly and then said, "I did think of this just now—but it wasn't just a random thought. When you went to take a bath, an urgent military report came in."

"Urgent military intelligence?"

These four words startled Shang Ruyi, who quickly asked, "What military intelligence?"

Yuwen Ye said in a deep voice, "Xue Xian is leading an army of 300,000 eastward and is almost at Fufeng."

"What?!"

Fufeng County is only a hundred miles away from Daxing City. If Xue Xian takes Fufeng, Daxing City will be right in front of him!

Shang Ruyi never dreamed that just today she had removed a sword that had been hanging over her head for so long, only to encounter Yuwen Qian's return; and that after she had just taken a bath, it was as if the world had changed when she came back.

Xue Xian is really going to lead his troops to Daxing!

Then they—

Thinking of this, the panic in her mind suddenly subsided, as if the wind had suddenly stopped when the dust, which had been swept up by a gale, was floating haphazardly in the air. All the dust then froze in the air and fell slumped down.

A sudden clarity dawned on her, and she immediately looked up at Yuwen Ye.

"You want to lead troops into battle?"

"Um,"

Yuwen Ye didn't hide anything from her, but added, "But, I was just thinking about it."

Just want to... that's all?

These words made Shang Ruyi's heart sink slightly.

She immediately understood what Yuwen Ye meant—in the past, if such a war were to occur, as the second son of the Duke's mansion and the Grand General appointed by the court, it would be his duty and an inescapable responsibility; even now, he has the same responsibility to go and quell the rebellion.

But now, things are different.

That was Yuwen Qian, his elder brother, the heir of the Duke, who had already returned.

So many things that seemed like his inescapable responsibility in the past, things he didn't even want to do, might be different now.

Moreover, Xue Xian's 300,000-strong army is heading towards Daxing. For Daxing City, the newly enthroned emperor, civil and military officials, and millions of people, this is a critical moment of life and death, a tough battle. If they can win, it will be a great achievement!

Therefore, he was definitely not the only one who wanted credit.

Shang Ruyi said softly, "Are you worried—"

Before she could finish speaking, Yuwen Ye said in a deep voice, "Brother, you did win the battle of Daxing City, but you can't win against someone like Xue Xian without a tough fight. He has been traveling and cultivating all these years. If he really has to go into battle, I'm worried that he won't be up to the task."

"..."

Shang Ruyi couldn't help but frown.

She now realized that what Yuwen Ye was thinking was not unrelated to Yuwen Qian; on the contrary, it was closely related to Yuwen Qian.

She just didn't expect that this was what Yuwen Ye was thinking.

Even today, she has witnessed the brotherly bond between Yuwen Ye and Yuwen Qian, which is completely different from what she had imagined. Even though Yuwen Yuan favors his eldest son so much that he neglects his second son, who has always been by his side and made contributions to the Yuwen family, Yuwen Ye is still planning for his elder brother.

But she couldn't do it.

It wasn't that she harbored hostility towards Yuwen Qian, but rather that she knew very well that some things were destined to be.

She thought for a moment and said, "You want to fight for it?"

Yuwen Ye paused for a moment, then said, "For... I must also strive for it."

Shang Ruyi looked into his eyes and asked, "Then, what about your older brother?"

"..."

"You want to fight for him, but won't he want to?"

"..."

"Feng Chen, if he also wants to fight for it—"

She didn't say the rest, firstly because she had already said something similar that could sow discord between the brothers earlier that day, and saying it again would be incredibly tactless; secondly, she simply couldn't bring herself to say it.

Even though she didn't say it aloud, she knew that Yuwen Ye understood what she was trying to say.

What can we use to compete with him?

If this were in Luoyang, under Chu Yang's rule, then this matter might be debatable. But now, in Daxing City, Yuwen Yuan has enthroned a new emperor and holds immense power. Although Chu Chengfei sits on the dragon throne, everyone knows from the attitude of the civil and military officials outside Dayan Temple towards Yuwen Yuan that the real power holder is indeed who is.

Who to send troops to the front and who to leave behind are all decided by his word.

It is self-evident who he favors.

Previously, Yuwen Qian captured Daxing City without bloodshed, which allowed Yuwen Yuan to successfully support the emperor. It can be said that everything the Yuwen family has now is thanks to him—a tremendous achievement. Even though at the same time, Yuwen Ye and Shen Wuzheng devised a plan to split Wanggang Village and take down this powerful rebel organization, their achievements were overshadowed by this one.

If, next, Yuwen Qian, under the watchful eyes of the masses, manages to repel Xue Xian's eastward advance—

Yuwen Yuan's words have indeed come true.

Is there anything in this world that he can't get?

At that moment, Shang Ruyi felt a sudden, indescribable shock. Although she was sitting there, leaning against Yuwen Ye, feeling perfectly steady, she inexplicably felt as if the sky were falling and the earth were collapsing.

She suddenly wondered—had she made a mistake?

Is it possible that Yuwen Qian might not...?

As her mind raced and her thoughts churned, Yuwen Ye, sitting beside her, lowered his head. Even though he didn't say a word, the close proximity and intimate relationship allowed him to clearly see Shang Ruyi's pupils trembling violently, as if something within her was stirring and vibrating within her.

Yuwen Ye's eyes suddenly turned cold.

What can we use to compete with him?

He had thought about these words before, but he didn't want to. Although the young woman in front of him didn't say them aloud, the more she didn't say them, the more they echoed in his ears, resounding like a thunderclap.

What can we use to compete with him?!

What do I have?

Thinking of this, he suddenly stood up. Shang Ruyi felt a chill beside her. When she looked up, Yuwen Ye had already gotten up and walked out, seemingly preparing to take a bath.

Why did you leave before you finished speaking?

She was still somewhat dazed, but Yuwen Ye walked to the door, then suddenly stopped, without turning around, and said in a deep voice, "Actually, there is something you said wrong."

"Um?"

Shang Ruyi was taken aback. She looked up at his back and realized for the first time that Yuwen Ye's broad and tall back seemed somewhat fragile.

He said, "I was thinking about you just now."

"...?"

Shang Ruyi stared at him with wide eyes, and for some reason, a strange sense of oppression rose in her heart.

She held her breath and said in a low voice, "Miss me—what?"

Yuwen Ye slowly turned to look at her, his dark, deep eyes devoid of light and emotion.

He asked, "Do you regret it?"